For us entrepreneurs getting close to a launch, make sure you keep this in the back of your mind.  The product is not going to be bulletproof in your first version, at least with software.  There will be bugs.  People will have change requests.  You can always take the time to go back and improve a software’s architecture.  Don’t take this as an excuse for lazy coding or poor product design.  The architectural phase of a project is vital to maintanability of the software and will have a big impact on the overall time it takes to create it.  Concentrate on a good design, then implement it as fast as you safely can.

After all, there’s a reason people use the phrase “first to market,” in press releases so much…